We move a lot
Our commitment to sustainable development
THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2 VDV I We move a lot Our contribution to sustainability
The public transport sector and the rail freight transport sector are important sustainable development actors in Germany: Each day about 30 million people use the public transport systems in Germany, which corresponds to more than 10 billion passengers per year and which replaces about 20 million drives in the car each day. The rail freight companies of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) transport more than 600 billion tons of freight per year, which reduces the drives in the truck by about 77 000 each day.
VDV’s about 600 member companies take every effort to achieve the sustainable devel- opment goals. They also take social and entre- preneurial responsibility for environmental protection, fair and attractive working con- ditions as well as sustainable business. Nine of the 17 SDGs are of particular importance to our sector and we contributed much to achieving these goals already long before the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. Thus, not only climate action (SDG 13), but e.g. also gender equality (SDG 5) and responsible consumption and production (SDG 12) are important goals to our sector.
In this publication the VDV gives concrete The public transport sector and the rail freight examples of measures that have been taken transport sector play a key role by the achieve- by VDV member companies or that are going ment of the climate targets. Nevertheless, the to be realised by 2030 in Germany to support transport transition can only succeed if their the sustainable development strategy of the importance is increased even more. It is our Federal Government. These examples are only goal to have increased public transport by a few examples from the broad range of meas- 30 percent and rail freight transport by more ures that have been or are going to be taken than 20 percent by 2030. Such an increase is by our member companies. ambitious and can only be realised if the repre- sentatives of public transport and rail freight transport work consequently towards this goal hand in hand with the political decision- makers. Climate protection is a social challenge and a central sustainable development goal.
The focus on sustainable development has in- creased significantly after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations in September 2015 and of Germany‘s National Sustainable Development Strategy in 2016. The 2030 Agenda defines clear fields of action in the form of 17 sustaina- ble development goals (SDGs). IIngongo Wortmann,Woro tmann, President ofof the VDVDVV
VDV I We move a lot 3 THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
4 VDV I We move a lot Contents
SDG 3: Good health and well-being Page 6–7 Darmstadt: “mobiFit” health management programme for the employees Düsseldorf: “House of fitness for work” – Supporting the work-life balance Frankfurt: Preventing accidents by clearing up
SDG 4: Quality education Page 8–9 Leipzig: Promoting lifelong learning Hamburg: Training of refugees Bremen: Promoting training
SDG 5: Gender equality Page 10–11 Bremen: Systematic vocational support for women Darmstadt: Women in management positions Berlin: Supporting compatibility of work and family life
SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy Page 12–13 Hamburg: Powerbank – Depot exclusively for electric buses Hanover: Zero-emission vision Berlin: Mobility with clean and affordable energy
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth Page 14–15 Bremen: Solutions for job seekers Nuremberg: Macroeconomic benefit by public transport DB: Training and qualification open up perspectives
SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure Page 16–17 Berlin: Saving energy within rail freight transport by way of novel products Berlin: Using trend-setting technologies – from online to autonomous Frankfurt: Expanding performance with innovations
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities Page 18–19 Dresden: Sustainable Johannstadt by 2025 Fribourg: Integrating development of public transport into urban development Hamburg: Zero-emission electric buses are coming
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production Page 20–21 Stuttgart: Prolonging the life cycles of LRVs Nuremberg: Sustainable procurement practice DB: Recycling in track construction
SDG 13: Climate action Page 22–23 DB: Travelling environment-friendly DB Cargo: Climate protection within rail freight transport Berlin: Light-weight buses
Imprint Page 25 Photo sources Page 26
VDV I We move a lot 5 We move a lot – for good health and well-being
One of the central concerns of the 2030 Agenda is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Nine targets and four means of implementation detail how this goal, which is partly based on the millennium development goals of the United Nations, is to be achieved. This SDG is of particular importance to the VDV member companies. Three very different examples illustrate the manifoldness of measures taken by the companies to achieve this goal.
Darmstadt: “mobiFit” health management The company also subsidizes Weight Watcher programme for the employees courses, which take place in its depot. Moreover, it HEAG mobilo GmbH, the public transport company has set up its own fitness programme, it cooperates in Darmstadt, is convinced that the employees’ with a fitness centre and it offers leasing of a motivation and commitment are essential to its bicycle or an e-bike as a deferred compensation. success. Therefore, the mobility service provider Free influenza vaccinations, frequent health days does not only continuously invest in training of as well as extensive stress analyses complete the its employees, but also supports the physical programme. and mental well-being of its employees within the scope of its “mobiFit” health management pro- The “mobiFit” health management programme gramme, which includes a broad range of offers is firmly integrated into the corporate culture in the fields of nutrition, sport and health care. of HEAG mobilo and is constantly adapted and improved. Thus, e.g. the staff restaurant offers a calorie- reduced “mobiFit” meal. Moreover, free water dis- pensers have been installed at several places. The company also organises action days, at which e.g. fruit is given away to the employees, as well as information events, at which it informs about e.g. “food with shift work”.
6 VDV I We move a lot Düsseldorf: “House of fitness for work” – Frankfurt: Preventing accidents by clearing up Supporting the work-life balance The following always applies: The accident risk is Rheinbahn AG, the public transport company in much lower within public transport than within Düsseldorf, uses its “house of fitness for work” private transport. In 2017 there were more than model, which Prof. Juhani Ilmarinen has developed, 3800 accidents in and around Frankfurt on the in its corporate health management programme. roads and the rails, which cost 17 lives. The acci- Fitness for work means the relationship between a dent statistics of the police say that mobile pho- person’s personal possibilities and the demands on ning and crossing the road at a red pedestrian light him/her in his/her job. This balance is right if the were the most common accident causes beside person performs well and feels well. Many factors drunk driving. Pedestrians and cyclists are often influence a person’s fitness for work, e.g. health, most severely hurt in such accidents because they fitness, competence, attitude, work environment, are the “weakest” traffic participants. management, private environment, society and culture (see below graph). These factors are illus- It is a general goal to minimise the number of trated as floors in the “house of fitness for work”. accidents. Therefore, Verkehrsgesellschaft Frank- furt am Main mbH (VGF) and the road traffic Accordingly, Rheinbahn AG supports its employees’ department of the City of Frankfurt initiated a fitness for work in many different ways. Some text campaign in 2017, which was to increase all measures are to hold cooperation in high esteem, traffic participants’ attention. Posters were hung whereas other measures are to support the employ- up everywhere in the city, in the metro stations ees’ health. Thus, the staff restaurants offer more and tram cars and CityCards were distributed in vegetarian and fresh meals now, and the company bars and clubs to make people sensitive to the risks has equipped a fitness room. The employees are in road traffic. Moreover, video clips were shown also offered various preventive medical check-ups. at the displays of VGF’s more than 600 ticket vend- Other measures like the flyer “Accident? And now?” ing machines and on VGF’s information screens in are to improve the information to and the commu- the metro stations. Further poster actions followed nication with the employees. Finally, the company in 2018 and 2019 to remind people of the message. redesigns its staff portal at present.
Short story No. 17: “I only chatted a little on my phone – and overlooked the tram.” Your city traffic
VDV I We move a lot 7 We move a lot – for quality education
Unlike millennium development goal 2, “Achieve universal primary education”, SDG 4 is based on the concept of lifelong learning. It covers the entire spectrum from early childhood education to training of seniors. Especially the digitalisation of nearly all areas of life and the difficult staff recruiting situation are big challenges to the VDV member companies. To master them, they prioritise education and training.
Leipzig: Promoting lifelong learning The demand for qualified staff, their training, in- Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB) GmbH uses digi- clusive of training of career changers, and lifelong talisation in its participative project “Mobile work learning are challenges to both employer and em- gets digital – Digital work gets mobile”. The drivers ployee. It is a fact that the LVB will have to recruit have been equipped with tablets, have been inter- new staff corresponding to its present size of approx. connected and are getting trained so that they 2500 employees on the labour market by 2030 can develop joint practical fields of application. In due its present age structure and due to the fact future, the office workers can decide to a higher that Leipzig is growing. Consequently, structured degree where and when they want to perform digi- transfer of knowledge is of particular importance. tal, mobile work. Within the scope of a collectively agreed training initiative the LVB has e.g. signif- The LVB is essential to the City of Leipzig if it will icantly increased the number of annual trainee- remain able to provide its elementary services for ships and apprenticeships in accordance with the the public like transport of pupils. However, focus Law for Vocational Training. The so-called “round is not only on the transport services, but also on table for training”, at which all interest groups sit, the safe use of public transport. Therefore, the LVR prepare trend-setting solutions for the future staff also arranges days of action, training and mobility training. The LVB offers 16 different vocational support, in which everybody from the pupil to the trainings and guarantees a permanent contract senior participates. upon successful completion of training.
8 VDV I We move a lot Hamburg: Training of refugees Bremen: Promoting training Hamburger Hochbahn AG offers refugees new Many employees want to progress professionally perspectives by training them in bus driving. In beside the corporate training and skills development. February 2017 the company initiated a training Thus, a workman often wishes to participate in project for refugees together with DEKRA e.V., courses enabling him to pass the master craftsman’s which aims at giving refugees a new perspective qualifying examination although the company has as bus drivers in Hamburg. One year later eleven no actual and probably no future demand for a new men from Syria, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Iraq master. In this case the company offers compre- and Iran were seated at the wheels as professional hensive advice about the possible further training bus drivers. In 2018 Hochbahn offered the course and the possible financial aid. anew so that further newcomers will finish their training in 2019. Professional advanced training can be officially funded in several ways. If governmental funding The project includes car driving school, a car driving is not possible, the employees of the Bremer Stra- test, a German course, six months of bus driving ßenbahn AG (BSAG) can apply for internal financial school, a bus driving test and several months of aid to external training on the basis of specified practical training in a bus depot to get familiar criteria. Concretely, the company can take over with the routines. The newcomers are supported training costs and the examination fee, if any. by experienced employees, who help them in every possible way to manage life in the depots. Many other German public transport companies have initiated similar projects to train refugees and integrate them into working life.
VDV I We move a lot 9 We move a lot – for gender equality
In the past, the transport sector mainly employed men due to its technical orientation. However, gender equality implies that women take over tasks in e.g. workshops, that they also drive buses and rail vehicles, and that they are integrated adequately and in a non-discriminatory way into the management of the companies. Numerous companies have already successfully realised this goal, which is illustrated by the following examples.
Bremen: Systematic vocational support for women Thus, the BSAG e.g. endeavours to increase the For many years Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG) share of women in skilled occupations by specif- has successfully followed a stringent plan to in- ically supporting women as tram drivers, the crease the share of women in the company. By “mobile working” agreement, which is a company the end of 2017 32.3 percent of the employees of agreement between the management and the wor- the BSAG were women and 25.2 percent of the ex- kers, and further measures intended to balance ecutives were women. This corporate goal explicit- work and family life. The BSAG also participates ly considers the requirements of the public service in the annual Girl’s Day event to make girls at contract, which e.g. specifies that the share of wo- secondary schools familiar with so-called male- men shall amount to at least 30 percent, that the dominated professions. share of female managers shall be increased and that the companies shall prepare and realise plans for the support of women.
10 VDV I We move a lot Photo, left: Female Darmstadt: Women in management positions Berlin: Supporting compatibility of work and managers of HEAG HEAG mobilo GmbH, the public transport company family life mobilo in Darmstadt in Darmstadt, has already realised the goal that Supported by the European Centre of Employers (from left to right): gives managements of DAX companies a headache: and Enterprises providing Public Services and Vera Amato, Astrid More women in management positions. And what’s Services of General Interest (CEEP), Berliner Ver- Tschann, Silke more: This goal has been achieved completely kehrsbetriebe (BVG) has more than once demon- Rautenberg and without a requirement for a certain share of women strated that its corporate policy is based on the goal Ann-Kristina Natus in the management. Generally, the German trans- of sustainability, which includes e.g. compatibility port companies employ relatively few women in of work and family life. One of the targets of SDG 5 management functions, but the Darmstadt public is promotion, acceptance and esteem of shared re- transport company is an exception. It employs sponsibility within the household and the family. more than 700 persons, and four of eleven manag- The BVG considers itself socially responsible for its ers at departmental level are women. It is striking employees’ families. Therefore, it realises a broad that the women also manage many technical de- range of offers to support the compatibility of work partments, e.g. the tramway operation, the tram- and family life. way workshop and the infrastructure. Merely the transport management department and the bus Family event days and arrangements informing workshop are in the hands of men. about family subjects like first aid of children, care of elderly family members and assessment training HEAG mobilo’s operating manager according to for the employees’ children take place at regular BOStrab, the German Federal Regulations on the intervals. These events are only a few examples of Construction and Operation of Tramways, is also a the broad range of BVG’s social offers. Another ex- woman. She was the first – and is still the only – ample is the possibility of flexible working hours, female operating manager, who is responsible for which is very popular. To ensure that the various the safety and correct performance of tramway programme offers reach even more employees on operation, in the more than 50 public transport the spot, the BVG has now realised new family- companies in Germany that perform tramway specific offers at further BVG locations. operation.
Thus, more than one third of HEAG mobilo’s de- partments are headed by women today, which is the result of a transparent selection practice: These four women simply had the best qualifications for the positions to be filled.
Families are com- prehensively sup- ported by the BVG by the planning of the working hours, by the financing and by the childcare
VDV I We move a lot 11 We move a lot – for affordable and clean energy
The SDG 7 of the 2030 Agenda has three targets, e.g. substantial increase in the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030. In the end, the VDV member companies are only purchasers or consumers of energy, but thanks to the technical nature of their systems (e.g. lighting and heating) and their vehicles (e.g. alternative kinds of driving technology) they are able to gradually reduce their consumption of energy generated on the basis of fossil fuel by increasing their consumption of renewable energy in an economically sustainable manner.
Hamburg: Powerbank – Depot exclusively for To be accepted as green electricity, specific re- electric buses quirements of the Hamburg Authority for Envi- A green belt outside the site, green noise barriers ronment and Energy have to be fulfilled. Thus, the and grass-green carport roofs – that’s the look electricity e.g. has to be generated by renewable of Hamburg’s first depot exclusively for electric energy systems that are younger than six years. buses in the Alsterdorf district. From the middle Zero-emission requires full charging power. of 2019 240 electric buses will be charged, cleaned Therefore, Hamburger Hochbahn AG is going to and maintained in this depot and about 600 bus adapt its entire infrastructure to the charging drivers will depart with their “climate protectors” technology to ensure sufficient power supply. Its from this depot. Right from the beginning the elec- depot in the Hummelsbüttel district makes the start tric buses will be supplied with fully green elec- with the first green charging stations. Hochbahn’s tricity, just as the other depots of the company. premises in the Langenfelde, Wandsbek, Billbrook and Harburg districts will be retrofitted soon.
12 VDV I We move a lot Hanover: Zero-emission vision Berlin: Mobility with clean and affordable energy ÜSTRA Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG takes Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has prepared an every effort to reduce its CO2 emissions and its total unambiguous environmental guideline for energy energy consumption as much as at all possible. Thus, efficiency and clean energy, which is updated at its light rail vehicles have been powered by zero- regular intervals and which leads to concrete, emission electricity generated from renewable energy-relevant actions concerning the use of energy sources by enercity AG since the beginning renewable energy and the development of electric of 2015. Moreover, the ÜSTRA plans to introduce mobility. Moreover, it clearly explains how the fully electric buses powered by CO2-free electricity public transport company meets the challenge of in the inner city of Hanover within the next five designing the “smart city” and how it fulfils the years. For this purpose, the company is going to requirements for saving resources and protecting procure 48 new electric buses, of which 18 will be the environment and the climate by way of intel- articulated buses, and re-equip its depots for these ligent design and control of the future energetic new electric buses by 2023. infrastructure together with the other city stake- holders. With this plan for the future the ÜSTRA intends to further develop the public transport in the region Affordable and clean energy is already an impor- of Hanover and to contribute considerably to the tant aspect of BVG’s mobility services, but it will region’s climate protection targets. Thus, the com- get even more fundamental for its future services. pany professes its belief in its corporate target of Moreover, it is important to the BVG to ensure zero-emission mobility. It also realises this target environment-friendly and affordable public trans- for its own real estates, which are energy-effi- port in the city. The consequent transition from ciently supplied with either natural gas or district the conventional sources of energy to renewable heating from a district block heat and power plant energy sources and the development of the mobil- and two biogas block heat and power plants. Finally, ity infrastructure in consideration of energetic the ÜSTRA has installed three photovoltaic plants, aspects are some of BVG’s most effective measures the electricity yield of which corresponds to the for realising the SDGs in the growing Berlin me- energy demand of about 110 detached houses. tropolis.
VDV I We move a lot 13 We move a lot – for decent work and economic growth
The German public transport companies and rail freight companies are significant economic factors in their respective regions of activity and they are important customers on the market in the fields of procurement, construction and building as well as services. Moreover, they safeguard the employment of nearly 400000 persons within and beyond their direct sphere of action. Of course, these jobs fulfil the requirements of the collective agreements and the conditions of the job descriptions. The modern and effective public transport and rail freight transport systems also ensure that the development of important centres of commerce and industry is not obstructed by a lack of transport capacity.
Bremen: Solutions for job seekers Not all jobs offered by Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG) have to be filled by highly qualified experts. Therefore, the BSAG also offers semi- and non- skilled workers as well as long-term unemployed persons a chance, provided they fulfil certain phys- ical conditions, have sufficient knowledge of the German language and show customer-orientated conduct. Together with the Bremen job centre the company offers them one-year training courses in the fields of passenger service, ticket inspection and bus driving. Thus, 72 job seekers/unemployed persons participated in the qualifying training in 2017. After successful completion of the training 38 persons started working with the BSAG.
14 VDV I We move a lot Nuremberg: Macroeconomic benefit by public DB: Training and qualification open up transport perspectives Many economic facts concerning public transport The human resource strategy of Deutsche Bahn AG companies can be found in their financial state- (DB) focusses on recruitment of young people and ments, but many other economic facts only become on professional internal staff training. Thus, the DB obvious on closer inspection. A complete compar- offers both apprenticeships and dual courses of ison of the costs and benefits shows that public study to ensure that it will have sufficient qualified transport is highly profitable from a macroeconom- staff in future. For this purpose, the DB Group has ic point of view. In 2007 VAG Verkehrs-Aktien- one of Germany’s biggest company training centres. gesellschaft, the public transport company in More than 94 % of the apprentices are offered a job Nuremberg, presented a study*, which concludes after completion of their training. In 2018 about that the macroeconomic benefit of one euro allot- 3800 young people began their vocational train- ted to the public transport company by the city ing with the DB and about 360 young people be- amounts to about five euros and that the city would gan their career with dual courses of study in the have to increase its expenditure for private trans- DB Group. port, e.g. for road maintenance and erection of further car parks, to a considerable degree if it The DB offers more than 20 different dual courses decided to reduce its public transport services. of study to train its young academic employees. Moreover, the DB Group continuously improves The costs would also rise to the road users because the framework for its in-service training. DB’s of the higher costs for private cars. Moreover, training guideline (“Weiterbildungskompass”) increased private transport would lead to higher provides good overview of the possible training environmental costs and higher accident costs. and study courses from certificate courses to bach- Public transport also influences the region con- elor and master studies through master craftsman siderably: Thanks to VAG’s purchase of goods studies offered by the Chamber of Commerce and and services as well as its payment of wages and Industry (IHK). The DB Academy is responsible salaries its suppliers and employees are able to buy for the qualification of about 7900 executives, more goods and services. Thus, each employee of individually salaried employees and managers. the VAG indirectly safeguards another job in the Qualification is also prioritised abroad: DB Schen- city and about half a job in the region. ker has opened up its own educational institute in Beijing, the DB Schenker Logistics Academy China. * Study: “Gesamtwirtschaftlicher Nutzen der VAG-Ver- kehrsleistungen im Jahr 2007”, published in the German language by Intraplan Consult GmbH in cooperation with ISP Eduard Pestel Institut für Systemforschung e.V. and VWI Verkehrswisssenschaftliches Institut Stuttgart GmbH (translation of the title: Macroeconomic Benefit of VAG’s Transport Services in 2007).
VDV I We move a lot 15 We move a lot – for industry, innovation and infrastructure
Both public transport and rail freight transport is essential to economic development and human well-being, but efficient and environment-friendly public transport and rail freight transport can only function with suitable economic and regulatory frameworks. Intelligent and interconnected offers are the response to the customers’ requirement for on-demand mobility and logistics. Mobility platforms like “ioki” make it possible to use modular offers to facilitate daily mobility in cities and communities. The VDV member companies are innovation drivers for technical products, which are then developed together with industry.
Berlin: Saving energy within rail freight transport It is possible to shift between the two kinds of by way of novel products drive at full speed within 15 seconds. The problem Until now, rail freight transport without double with the last mile, which is often far more than one heading usually meant operation of six-axle diesel mile within rail freight transport, is solved effi- locomotives, but Havelländische Eisenbahn AG ciently in that way. Nevertheless, at least 90 percent (HVLE), a private railway undertaking with its of the rail freight transport will probably be per- headquarters in Berlin, is just about to revolutionise formed electrically with these novel locomotives. the market. In the last three years the company has Thus, each time one of them is operated over a di-
developed a new hybrid locomotive, the EURO- stance of 1000 km about 17 tons of CO2 is saved in DUAL locomotive, together with Stadler Bussnang comparison with the operation of a conventional AG, a Swiss rail vehicle manufacturer, which is diesel locomotive, provided that it is supplied with likely to set the future standard within the heavy- green electricity. The HVLE intends to certify that load rail transport. This locomotive is a six-axle its customers save energy due to the reorientation electric locomotive with a power of 6 MW that has from diesel-powered locomotives to hybrid loco- been equipped with a diesel engine with a power motives. of 3 MW so that full availability is also ensured on non-electrified route sections.
16 VDV I We move a lot Berlin: Using trend-setting technologies – from Frankfurt: Expanding performance with online to autonomous innovations The increasing and varied digitalisation of every- The requirements for flexible, modern and fast day processes, the novel developments on the mo- mobility constantly increase. Moreover, the bility market and the changing requirements for growing online trade increases the requirements mobility in the growing cities and the rural areas for transport logistics. Consequently, the traffic offer unique opportunities for the development volume increases and the air quality falls off. Ver- of new mobility offers. The introduction of on- kehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH (VGF) demand offers like the dial-a-ride bus “BerlKönig” has prepared a concept, which includes modules to of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) is an ex- solving this problem and increasing the efficiency ample of innovative cooperation between indus- of the present system at acceptable costs. try, start-ups and providers of transport services. Thus, the VGF intends to introduce longer trains. The public transport companies are preparing Each tramcar and metro vehicle are to be extended sustainable business models. The sector intends by a trailer car in its middle to be able to cope with to make new, customised mobility offers available the increasing passenger volume. to its customers. Environment-friendly and inex- pensive ride-sharing offers have already been in- Moreover, the VGF is interested in autonomous tegrated into their mobility offers. Ever easier and buses. In April 2018 it tested an autonomous elec- often intuitive access to multimodal mobility of- tric bus together with Continental AG, an inter- fers and interconnection of these offers are being national technology company, EasyMile, a French dynamically developed, above all in conurbations company, and the Frankfurt University of Applied like Berlin. Sciences (UAS) for the students and customers on the premises of this university. In future, BVG’s mobility hubs will connect bike- and car-sharing offers with bus and rail transport A further innovation that the VGF tests in Frank- offers in the metropolis to meet the clear trend to- furt is the “Logistiktram” (see photo). It is to deliver wards multimobility and intermodality. To achieve goods to so-called micro-depots in the city at the a common mobility alliance, the BVG bundles and times of the day in which relatively few tramcars interconnects its offers on a mobility platform in are operated. The goods, which are mainly online the form of an app, which is useful to its present trade goods, will be transported from the micro- customers and which is going to make the access depots to the customers by bike couriers. to attractive mobility in the city easier for new customers.
Within the scope of the STIMULATE pilot project, which has been initiated by the BVG, the Charité university hospital and the regional government of Berlin, four autonomous shuttles are being op- erated on the premises of the Charité. Unmanned driving is intended as from 2019.
VDV I We move a lot 17 We move a lot – for sustainable cities and communities
Especially traffic with its noise and dust emissions is increasingly regarded as a stress factor for the quality of life in urban areas. The reorientation from diesel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles is only one module of the master plan of a sustainable community in the sense of SDG 11. Other modules are short ways, traffic- calmed residential areas and sufficient green spaces. Due to its bundling effect public transport is of particular importance for the achievement of this goal. The local politicians can achieve much with suitable traffic management and measures prioritising public transport, especially in the field of private transport.
Dresden: Sustainable Johannstadt by 2025 To reach as many residents as possible, e.g. several How can a densely populated district near the participation formats are being planned. More- inner city get more environmentally friendly and over, a multilingual website is being prepared, liveable by 2025? The Dresden politicians gain which is of great importance as the Johannstadt experience in their “Sustainable Johannstadt by district is very intercultural. The first project 2025” project, which is promoted by the Federal milestone was a so-called world café event, at Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation which some suggestions for measures were made, and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The 25 000 residents of which are now being bundled to an action plan. In the Johannstadt district are being motivated to act the mobility field e.g. slow speed (30 km/h), safer in a more climate-friendly way in their everyday footpaths and pedestrian crossings, more room for life, e.g. to shift to green electricity, to reduce food cycling and parked bicycles as well as proper ways waste, not to cover avoidable distances, to keep to school to avoid “parent taxis” were suggested. Of unavoidable distances as short as possible and course, it was also intensively and controversially to cover them in an environment-friendly way. discussed whether the many buses operated in the For this purpose, the project has been divided into district can be replaced by a tram line (see the above several fields of action, i.e. living, consumption/ visualisation). In the second project phase, which food and mobility. Being an expert in local mobility, begins in October 2019 and ends in 2022, the Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) participates various parts of the action plan are to be realised in this project. in the form of examples.
18 VDV I We move a lot Fribourg: Integrating development of public trans- Hamburg: Zero-emission electric buses are port into urban development coming The Vauban district, which is now an attractive, The switching from diesel-powered buses to elec- family-friendly district with about 5 500 residents, tric buses begins now. It is the big revolution for has emerged on an about 41 ha big area, on which Hamburg’s public transport and is going to change the barracks of the French army used to be. Low- the city strongly. The Government of Hamburg has energy construction is obligatory, and passive/ decided that only zero-emission and quiet buses plus-energy building designs as well as use of solar may be purchased by 2020 and that exclusively technology are standard. Most old trees were saved. zero-emission and quiet buses may be operated Green areas between the house rows ensure good in the streets of Hamburg by 2030. Little by little climate and offer playing areas for children. the about 1000 diesel-powered buses will be replaced – at first by battery-electric buses and In parallel to the private development, public infra- later also by fuel cell buses, which are to be tested structure was developed in the form of a school, in line service as soon they have been developed kindergartens, youth centres, a meeting place for for series production. the residents, a market place as well as leisure and playing areas. Green grass roofs store rain water, In November 2018 the first electric bus, which is which is collected and retained. ready for series production, reached Hamburg; by the end of 2019 there should be 30 electric buses. The Vauban district is traffic-calmed. The traffic concept distinguishes between the surrounding The big movement: In 2016 Hamburg and Berlin superior roads (50 km/h), the main streets to and set up a procurement initiative, in which seven from the district with parking-space management public transport companies from big German cities (30 km/h), the traffic-calmed residential streets soon participated. This initiative determined ve- without public parking space (walking pace), the hicle technology standards, e.g. for the charging, complementary footpath and cycle path system which were to encourage the bus manufacturers to and the areas reserved for pedestrians. bring electric standard buses on the market under competitive conditions as it is important to the Many households are car-free, private cars are public transport companies that they can compete parked in the two car parks of the district. Many with diesel-powered buses in respect of reliability, residents exclusively go by bike or use the good availability and purchase costs. public transport offer, which was an integral part of the concept right from the beginning.
VDV I We move a lot 19 We move a lot – for responsible consumption and production
How are our supply chains for goods? Are we sure that the goods that we use in our sector do not comprise raw materials harmful to health, which people living 8 000 km away have dug out with their bare hands? The VDV member companies are very aware of their roles as customers, purchasers and consumers and see themselves as examples of companies acting in a resource-saving and responsible way in the sense of SDG 12 and es- pecially target 12.2 (“By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources”).
Stuttgart: Prolonging the life cycles of LRVs opportunity to pass on their knowledge and expe- To support the climate targets and the local econ- rience to their young colleagues. Mixed teams en- omic dynamic force, Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen sure that the know-how remains in the company. AG (SSB) is to operate more light rail vehicles Thus, the SSB can recruit employees in the pros- (LRVs). In a relatively short time the SSB has to perous Stuttgart region due to its numerous fringe procure 40 new LRVs. The actual need for LRVs benefits and despite the skills shortage. SSB’s target would be much higher if the SSB had not completely of “balancing work and family life”, which has been overhauled or partly modernised 86 LRVs succes- awarded each year since 2013, is also advanta- sively since 2008. Much raw material has been geous by the recruitment of employees. Finally, saved by the prolongation of the life cycles of these SSB’s health management programme, which has LRVs. also been awarded several times, as well as the sys- tematic and well-established occupational safety This project also develops employees and makes ensure the safe work environment and the employ- jobs secure. Moreover, the employees have the ees’ health.
20 VDV I We move a lot Nuremberg: Sustainable procurement practice DB: Recycling in track construction Rail vehicles are operated for 30, sometimes 40, Ballast consists of crushed stones made “elastic” by years. Their long lives are up against shorter and the track bed for extremely heavy trains. As these shorter technical innovation cycles, e.g. for elec- crushed stones have to have a certain size, they tronic components. If certain spare parts are out- are checked at regular intervals and, if necessary, dated or not manufactured anymore, the public they are cleaned or exchanged. 99 percent of this transport purchasers call them “obsolete”. This ob- ballast are recycled, either on the spot or at external solescence is a special challenge to the purchasers certified plants, and re-used as ballast or e.g. as and maintenance experts because adequate re- chipseal in road construction. In 2018 the DB used placements have to be procured, which is expen- 3.5 million tons of ballast, of which 740 000 tons sive and time-consuming. had been recycled.
Therefore, the public transport companies now Since 2014 paving stones manufactured in a cli- often let the manufacturers guarantee by contract mate-neutral way and in environment-friendly that spare parts can be delivered for a long time production processes have also been used at many when they procure certain goods and products. stations and stops. Thus, e.g. only renewable ener- Thus, obsolescence management is always a re- gy and processed rain water are used for the man- levant award criterion to e.g. VAG Verkehrs- ufacture of these ecological paving stones, for Aktiengesellschaft, the public transport company which recycled material is now also often used. in Nuremberg, when it concludes contracts for new Concrete stones can be fully recycled, and they are vehicles. therefore a valuable raw material for ecological paving stones, which can consist of up to 40 per- Often other sustainable criteria are also decisive cent recycled material, which saves many natural by the procurement of vehicles nowadays. Thus, resources – another active action for our environ- not only the social standards like payment of the ment. minimum wage and observance of the internation- al labour standards of the International Labour Since the beginning of 2018 the DB has used eco- Organization (ILO), but also the origin of materials logical paving stones with a recycling share of or the production processes are important factors. 40 percent for all platform renewals of its “West- VAG’s decisions to use sustainable food in the staff frankenbahn”. It is the intention of the company restaurant, to avoid packages, to require proof of to have all 75 stations and stops of this railway non-use of so-called conflict minerals (rare earth) modernised by way of these stones by 2025. They and to use energy-efficient products manifest have already been used at the Winterhausen, VAG’s sustainable and responsible procurement Weiterstadt and Taucha stations as well at the practice. Laudenbach (Württ) and Sulzbach (Main) stops.
VDV I We move a lot 21 We move a lot – climate action
The climate protection targets of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change from 2017 can only be achieved with the help of the entire transport sector. At present, they are not even nearly achieved, especially in Germany, and they can only be achieved with the support of public transport, passenger railways and rail freight transport as their vehicles hardly produce climate-damaging emissions. Thus, about 15 million tons of CO2 emissions are saved when people – or their freight – go by bus and rail.
DB: Travelling environment-friendly DB’s logistics customers can also have their rail Already today, about 150 million long-distance freight transported with green electricity via the passengers of the DB travel environment-friendly “DBeco plus” offer. It is calculated how much green with green electricity in the ICE, IC and EC trains electricity is needed for the transport, which is in Germany. As from 2019 the 15 biggest stations then fed into DB’s system. Beside improvements are also exclusively supplied with green electricity. of the climate balance of the rail transport mode By 2030 the green electricity share of DB’s total especially a modal shift from the road to the rail energy consumption shall amount to 80 percent. would support the climate protection. It is esti-
In addition, the DB also permanently increases its mated that about 11 million tons of CO2 could be efficiency. Thus, the energy consumption of DB’s saved with such a shift. latest generation of trains, the ICE 4, has been reduced by 22 percent per seat as against the ICE 1 generation. The environmental friendliness of DB’s short-distance customers and logistics customers also increase continuously. Thus, e.g. the suburban railway in Hamburg is fully supplied with renewa- ble energy.
22 VDV I We move a lot DB Cargo: Climate protection within rail freight Berlin: Light-weight buses transport Light-weight buses are a concrete example of how
The rail freight transport sector cannot always do the CO2 emission can be reduced as they have an without diesel locomotives, but DB Cargo always energetic advantage. Thus, they emit up to 20 per- endeavours to reduce their fuel consumption and cent less pollutants than standard buses. Berliner their emission of pollutants. Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) uses this benefit by the procurement of new buses as an intermediate
A good example of the efforts of the company is the step on its way towards the intended CO2-neutral so-called eco-tuning, which it developed for its bus operation. All in all, the BVG emitted about shunting locomotives together with DB Eco Rail, 165 000 tons of CO2 in 2018, of which the major Munich University of Applied Sciences and MTO part (about 90 percent) was emitted by the diesel- Engineering and which optimises the engine con- powered buses. trol so that the fuel consumption is reduced by up to 3.5 percent. So far, 385 shunting locomotives To limit the emissions as much as possible and to have been optimised with eco-tuning in Germany be able to observe the ever-stricter emission stand- and abroad. The locomotives do not have to go into ards, the BVG continuously renews its bus fleet. the workshop for this improvement, they are Technical retrofits for the exhaust gas after-treat- simply tuned via a smartphone and a mobile data ment of the buses also contribute significantly to flasher in only 15 minutes. Thanks to this opti- reducing the emissions generated by public trans- misation about 800000 litres of diesel fuel – port and stresses the environmental advantage of and thus 2.1 million kg CO2 – could be saved last public transport. In 2018 the BVG also concluded year. This amount corresponds to the fuel that a car framework contracts on the delivery of new line- would consume if it were to drive around the earth service buses. Thus, up to 600 articulated buses at the equator 333 times. and up to 350 standard buses with state-of-the- art EURO-VI diesel technology are to be procured. The automatic stop-start control for locomotives is another example of a development to the benefit of the environment. Just as in a car the engine is stopped automatically in its idle state, i.e. it is not supplied with diesel fuel. This control reduces the fuel consumption of a locomotive by about five percent. Since 2015 DB Cargo has equipped alto- gether 246 shunting locomotives with this inno- vative control. Of course, all new locomotives are also equipped with it.
VDV I We move a lot 23 THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
24 VDV I We move a lot Imprint
Publisher Overall revision Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen e. V. (VDV) VDV Subcommittee on Sustainability Kamekestraße 37–39 · 50672 Köln, Germany Chairman: Thomas Unger, BVG T +49 221 57979-0 · F +49 221 57979-8000 [email protected] · www.vdv.de
Project management Gerrit Poel, coordination of sustainability issues Members of the VDV Subcommittee T +49 89 4702484 · [email protected] on Sustainability Udo Benje, ÜSTRA Concept & design Alexander Berthold, Hochbahn Artemino Design & Kommunikation GmbH Birgit Osten Viktoria Fromme, Rheinbahn in cooperation with VDV’s media design department Christof Helfrich, VAG Nuremberg Karl-Heinz Kenkel, BSAG Annette Körner, LVB Udo Mack, VGF Erhard Michel, DB AG Winfred Oelmann, DVB Dirk Polenz, BVG Mareike Rehl, VAG Fribourg Markus Schmieder, SSB Susanne Straßer, HEAG mobilo Thomas Unger, BVG
VDV I We move a lot 25 Photo sources
1 istockphoto.com 4 istockphoto.com 6 istockphoto.com 7 Graph (modified): Prof. Juhani Ilmarinen, Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH (VGF) 8 Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB) GmbH 9 Hamburger Hochbahn AG; istockphoto.com 10 HEAG mobilo GmbH 11 Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) 12 Hamburger Hochbahn AG 13 ÜSTRA Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG; Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) 14 Deutsche Bahn AG; Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG) 15 VAG Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft, Nuremberg 16 istockphoto.com 17 Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt am Main mbH (VGF); Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG); Havelländische Eisenbahn AG (HVLE) 18 Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB) 19 Freiburger Verkehrs AG (VAG); Hamburger Hochbahn AG 20 istockphoto.com 21 Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB); Deutsche Bahn AG, Faruk Hosseini 22 istockphoto.com 23 Deutsche Bahn AG, Max Lautenschläger; Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG); Deutsche Bahn AG, Faruk Hosseini 24 istockphoto.com
26 VDV I We move a lot
Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen e. V. (VDV) Kamekestraße 37–39 · 50672 Köln · Germany T +49 221 57979-0 · F +49 221 57979-8000 [email protected] · www.vdv.de